Director Felix van Groeningen's "Beautiful Boy," a Gala presentation at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (photo courtesy of TIFF)

"MOUTHPIECE" selected as opening film of Special Presentations program; "Shoplifters" named closing film

TORONTO (AP)

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Films starring Timothee Chalamet and Hugh Jackman as well as Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut A Star Is Born with Lady Gaga are among the selections announced for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 6-16.

Beautiful Boy stars Chalamet and Steve Carell and will be one of several films having their world premiere at the 43rd annual festival, a launching pad for Hollywood’s awards season. Chalamet, an Oscar nominee for last year’s Call Me By Your Name, plays a meth addict whose recovery is seen through the eyes of his father, played by Carell. Additional world premieres include The Front Runner starring Jackman as former presidential candidate Gary Hart, Life Itself from This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman, and Steve McQueen’s Widows.

Among other notable films screening at the festival will be First Man, which stars Ryan Gosling as the astronaut Neil Armstrong. It is directed by Damien Chazelle and is his first film since the Oscar darling La La Land. Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, based on a novel by James Baldwin, will also premiere at the festival. Moonlight beat out La La Land for best picture at the 2017 Academy Awards.

Of the 17 Galas and 30 Special Presentations, this first announcement includes 21 world premieres, 7 international premieres, 8 North American premieres and 11 Canadian premieres. The selections announced today includes 13 features directed by women.

“We have an exceptional selection of films this year that will excite Festival audiences from all walks of life,” said Piers Handling, CEO and director of TIFF. “Today’s lineup showcases beloved auteurs alongside fresh voices in filmmaking, including numerous female powerhouses. The sweeping range in cinematic storytelling from around the world is a testament to the uniqueness of the films that are being made.”

The world premiere of MOUTHPIECE will be the opening film of the Special Presentations program. Directed by Patricia Rozema and written by Rozema, Amy Nostbakken, and Norah Sadava, the film stars Nostbakken, Sadava, and Maev Beaty. MOUTHPIECE is a powerful and amusing look into the female psyche that harnesses the essence of Nostbakken and Sadava’s award-winning play, from which it was loosely adapted. Cassandra Haywood (played by both Nostbakken and Sadava) is a strong, single woman, a writer who lives by her own rules. She is also a bit of a disaster. Following the sudden death of her mother, Elaine (Beaty), Cassandra begins to recognize the resemblances between her more traditional mother and herself, and the frightening similarities between the struggles of past generations of women and the realities of today.

“We are thrilled to be opening the Special Presentations program with Patricia Rozema, an iconic Canadian filmmaker,” said TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey. “Based on the play of the same name, MOUTHPIECE is one of Rozema’s most vibrant films, an honest and heart-wrenching portrayal of a young woman finding her voice after the passing of her mother.”

“I can’t thank the TIFF programmers enough for the special spotlight on MOUTHPIECE,” said Rozema. “I’m thrilled to introduce Amy Nostbakken, Norah Sadava, and Maev Beaty to cinema audiences. That this movie was written, directed, shot, designed, edited, produced, and costume designed by women shouldn’t feel special, but it is — and makes it all the more sweet.”

MOUTHPIECE is a film by Crucial Things and First Generation Films and is produced by Rozema, Christina Piovesan, and Jennifer Shin. It is produced in association with Telefilm Canada, the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation. Executive producers are Alex Brisbourne, Angela Brisbourne, Martha McCain, Kathleen Ramsay, Martha Ramsay, and Maria Martin Stanley.

The closing film for the Special Presentations program will be the Canadian premiere of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s drama, Shoplifters.

“Shoplifters is about connections, family, and what keeps us together,” said Handling. “We’ve been fortunate to present many films by Kore-eda at TIFF, including After Life (1998), Like Father, Like Son (2013), and Our Little Sister (2015). We’re delighted to share his Palme d’Or–winning film with Toronto audiences.”

Equal parts incisive social critique and nuanced family portrait, Shoplifters follows a small band of marginalized misfits struggling to make ends meet in a merciless urban environment.

Here’s a rundown of the first round of Toronto International Film Festival selections: